The Junk Drawer 20 – The 6 Most Fascinating Men on TV

First, let me acknowledge the fatuous title. But I felt it was time for a little fun and a little audience participation – and nothing gets my blog visitors as passionate as a popular culture post. Particularly a post that my readers feel has some real, glaring omissions. So let’s go.

In the category of the 6 Most Fascinating Men on TV, the Westies go to:

Don Draper – When I heard a sportscaster accuse Brett Favre of pulling a Draper by, as Draper would say, “Changing the conversation” – there was no way I could leave Draper off the list. It also provided me with a way to revisit the Mother of all Narcissists. Mad Men has mesmerized (at least my friends) in a way that I haven’t seen since The Sopranos. Evidence: Those that love you DO NOT call on Sunday nights.

Jim Nantz – I know, you’re scratching your heads. But Nantz is the master of hyperbole, metaphor, puns, and consistency “Hello friends, and welcome.” No one can call a Masters Golf Tournament like Nantz. However, that alone, wouldn’t be enough to warrant a mention on this list. What tipped the scales? Nantz’s ability (Sunday after Sunday after Sunday) to look riveted and fascinated by whatever incomprehensible nonsense Phil Simms is babbling about during the nationally broadcasted AFC Game. Watch for this on Sunday. You’ll laugh. You’ll think, at least the charitable among you, that Dawn Westerberg doesn’t have enough to do.

Billy Mays – May he rest in peace. I will admit, with no shame, that if an infomercial came on with Mays as the pitchman, like a siren song to sailors, I was mesmerized. Whether he was conducting laundry miracles with OxyClean or removing car dings and scratches – I couldn’t look away. Couldn’t. Look. Away. The absence of Billy Mays commercials has probably given me back 20 -30 minutes of my life each week. Precious moments better spent writing and entertaining you with life-changing posts like this.

Dwight Schrute – Beet farmer. Agro-tourism entrepreneur. Bear expert. Top Dunder Mifflin Salesman. Cousin to Mose. Author of Schrute Space. If The Office comes to a close with the departure of Steve Carell, it will be Dwight that I miss the most.

Larry David – Toilets, tipping, racist dogs, and pushing the envelope. I don’t think there is an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm that hasn’t had me laughing out loud multiple times.

Stringer Bell – I am watching The Wire for the third or fourth time as it is rebroadcast on DirecTV. Now that I am familiar with the story line and know what’s going to happen, I notice more and more about the depth and richness of the show. During this viewing, I’m startled by how evil Stringer is. Perhaps there was too much going on the first couple times I watched for the cold evil to register. OK, maybe Idris Elba is just so good looking and has such a luscious voice that my mind wanted to make him a likeable villain. But as I re-watch, his motivation and deadliness is breath-taking. What’s amazing is that the entire cast of The Wire could have made this list. And, in my humble opinion, The Wire, all 5 seasons of it, is the best that TV has ever broadcast.